Fire-escape



,f (Hommel.)

H. J. H. SCHUETT.

Y 'PIRE ESCAPE. No. 275,083. 8 Patented Apr. 3, 1883.

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HENRY J. H. SCHUETT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,083, dated April 3, 1883.

Application filed January 31. 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. H. ScHUET'r, of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of devices designed to facilitate the escape of occupants ofthe higher rooms of a building.

The invention consists in the vpeculiar construction and combination of the parts, as more fully hereinafter described. e

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which the figure represents a perspective view of my'invention applied to the upper window of a building, A A represent the two arms which support the escape proper. The inner ends of these'arms, which are made of iron preferably, are secured to a cross-bar, B, which should be of sucient length to reach from one side of an ordinary window or door frame to the other, and to each end of this cross-bar are pivotally secured the bearing-bars C, so that when the cross-bar is projected across the inner side of the frame of a door or window such bearing-bars will be turned vertically and rest against the inner parts of the frame, and to prevent their slipping accidentally the faces of such bars which come in contact with the door or window frame are provided with sharpened spurs a, which will enter such frame. The parts AA', crossbar B, and bearing-bars O form a frame for supporting the escape proper when in use, the bars A A' projecting two, three, or more feet outside the window or door to which this frame is attached, as may be desired; and to the outer side of one or both of the bars A A', is pivotally secured a brace, D. This brace is pivoted so as to form two arms of a lever, the longer one designed to rest its end against the wall of the building and assist in supporting the frame, While the end of the shorter arm is ratcheted upon the segment of acircle,

and b is a pawl pivotally secured to the arm, and designed to engage with the ratcheted end of the brace to enable the latter to be adjusted to thicker' or thinner walls of a building.

To the armsA A' is secured a sacking floor, E, which forms a floork from the window to the escape proper.

F is an iron ring, bent at the center or near the center, into an L shape, and at the bend it is pivotally secured to the outer ends of the arms A A', and to this ring is secured the long canvas bottomless sack F'. By this peculiar construction of the ring and connection to the arms the vertical portion of it, as shown in the drawing, forms a rail which will prevent the person escaping from walking o' the end of the sack floor, while the horizontal portion of such ring, resting against the bottom of such sack and iloor, incloses an opening therein to the top of the sack, and assists in forming a support at that particular point. The lower end of the sack is provided with a puckering-cord, the free end of which leads up inside the sack to the top thereof, so that a person escaping by this means may, before entering the sack, close the bottom thereof.

-Cords H are also attached to the bottom of the sack, so that when the latter is adjusted for use parties upon the ground may draw the bottom of such sack outward from the building, thereby giving it more or less of an inclination, which would tend to arrest a too rapid descent of the person escaping.

When not in use the frame may be detached from the window-frame and the sack folded upon it.

By means of an arrangement of this character, which is inexpensive in cost, buildings may be provided with safe means of exit from the upper stories, and travelers may fold the device and carry it with them in an ordinary trunk.

In order to facilitate getting this device in a smaller compass, the arms A A' may be made folding or extensible in any of the known ways.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. As a means of supporting a fire-escape sack and securing the same to the inner face of a door or Window frame, the 4combination ent therefrom, the parts being constructed, of the arms A A', bars B C, and brace D, the and arranged, and operating substantially as parts being constructed, combined, and operand for the purposes set; forth.

ating substantially as and for the purposes set; HENRY J. H. SCHUETT. 5 forth. Witnesses:

2. In combination with the arms A A', bars H. S. SPRAGUE, 1 B C, brace D, floor E, ring F, and sack pend- E. SOULLY'. 

